Fire in Wellow Close in Leigh Park most likely caused by wiring in solar panels, fire service says

Crews from Portchester, Havant, Southsea, and Emsworth fire stations spent more than four hours tackling the blaze in Wellow Close on Sunday, November 22.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service has reported the fire as being accidental, caused by a fault in a solar panel installation on a property’s roof.

A spokesman for the service said: ‘From the information we have gathered the fire has been marked a level 1 incident, with the most likely cause being accidental, an electrical fault/overheating of a solar inverter or the wiring/connections situated in the loft space, which was connected to the solar panels on the roof.

‘There was no detailed investigation by a fire investigation officer as the cause and origin were identified, and there was no evidence of a criminal act taking place.

‘It was left to the occupier to notify his insurance company to these findings, and for them to appoint a specialist investigator if they deemed it necessary.’

The fire saw the community rally around the stricken occupants, with more than £4,300 and hundreds of items of food and clothing in donations.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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